What is Superior Customer Service?

According to Jamier L. Scott, (2002), [1] "Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction - that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer expectation" (Wikipedia). Just like the quality of products or services that are purchased, the quality of customer services has a direct impact of whether if a business will succeed or fail. If the customers feel that they are not treated in a decent or honest way they will go elsewhere to purchase a product or service. There are several things that you, as the business owner, and your employees must do to ensure that your customers are getting superior customer service.

You must show your customers that you are caring. The customer always comes first, unless if another customer is being taken care of first. For example, a customer brings in a product that he wants to return. He approaches the counter and two employees are discussing the latest hockey game. As soon as the customer reaches the counter, the employees stop talking about the game and one of them immediately acknowledges the customer. This shows the customer that they do care for him. The uncaring team would continue talking about the game without asking the customer what he needed help with.

Communication is a must for superior customer service. Do not assume that you know what the customer needs. He may have a product that he recently purchased with him. However, he may not be returning it; he may just have a question about it or may just want to know where the bathrooms are. Listen to him and show that you are listening by maintaining eye contact with him. If you do not understand what he is asking or saying, ask him to rephrase the statement.

If there are any issues or complaints about the product, make corrective actions. Apologize to the customer if he is not satisfied. Then ask him if he wants to exchange the product or get a refund.

Customer service needs to be at all times, before an individual chooses a product, when he pays for it and after he makes the purchase. Even if you have an unhappy customer, when you apply superior customer service, you are showing him that you want his future business. When you show that you care about his problems and issues about a recent purchase, communicate effectively with him and offer a quick solution, he will leave the store happy. As a result, he will continue to conduct business with your company.